The Collection by Liz McGrath | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* Mrs Liz McGrath, owner of The Collection by Liz McGrath, which includes The Cellars-Hohenhort, The Marine, and The Plettenberg, with The Lord Milner in Matjiesfontein recently taken over by her too, passed away this weekend.

* James Laube, writing for Wine Spectator, generically describes South African wines as aiming for longevity, of up to 40 years. Cape Point Vineyards winemaker Duncan Savage told him: ‘South African winemakers say they feel as if they’re in a state of limbo. “It’s as if we’re in the New World of the Old World, or part of the Old World in the New World’. He expressed his personal dislike of our country’s ‘low pH, high-acidity wines’.

* Cape Town already has a street named after former President FW de Klerk, in Wesbank it has been discovered, Continue reading →

After seeing a Tweet by The Collection by Liz McGrath Executive Chef Peter Tempelhoff about the new interior of SeaFood at The Marine earlier this week, I decided to lunch there yesterday, being in Hermanus for the day. It was a most disappointing experience, given the five star and Relais & Chateaux status of the hotel.

The Marine hotel has a long heritage and was bought by Mrs McGrath a number of years ago. and sat on its own on the cliffs overlooking Walker Bay, technically a magnificent location, but little is made of the beautiful view. A recent flurry of development across the road from the hotel has given it a lift. Mrs McGrath appears to be like Le Quartier Français owner Susan Huxter who renovates her establishment annually. Mrs McGrath did the latest interior design of SeaFood at The Marine, her staff told me. The colour scheme now is grey, with grey chairs, grey tables, and grey Continue reading →